In a fitting structure between a connector and an inlet in an electrical connector unit, there may be provided a locking portion that prevents the connector from coming off the inlet when the connector and the inlet have reached a predetermined fitting position.
In such a structure, a release portion such as a release button is also required for releasing the locking by the locking portion when detaching the connector from the inlet.
On the other hand, in the state where the connector and the inlet are fitted together, charging may be carried out, but if the locking is released due to, for example, an operation of the release portion in error during the charging, there is a possibility of electric leakage.
Therefore, in such a structure, there may also be required a structure configured to fix the release portion to disable an operation of the locking portion in the state where the connector and the inlet are locked together.
As such a structure, as described in, for example, JP-A-2014-3005 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1), there is a structure in which a plunger of a solenoid is provided with a member that restricts the movement of a release portion, thereby fixing the release portion by bringing the member into contact with the release portion.
This structure will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 26,
As shown in FIG. 26, a connector 100 of Patent Document 1 includes a swing arm 10 having a retaining hook 12 for locking a fitted state with an inlet, a release lever 20 for releasing the locking by the swing arm 10, a solenoid slider 60 having a preventing portion receiver 63 that restricts the movement of the release lever 20, and a solenoid 50 that drives the solenoid slider 60. A movable iron core 52 of the solenoid 50 is fixed to the solenoid slider 60 by a pin 55.
In this structure, the solenoid 50 drives the solenoid slider 60 to move the preventing portion receiver 63 to a position corresponding to a swing preventing portion 238 of the release lever 20 so that the movement of the release lever 20 is prevented by the preventing portion receiver 63, and therefore, the release lever 20 can be fixed.